Counterbalancing device



June 1, 1937. R, BLOSS ETA 2,082,761

COUNTERBALANCING DEVICE Filed Feb. 14, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ray 0. Pfa/ I /3 P/tfiam E 5/055 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

June 1, 1937. R. R. BLOSS ET AL 2,082,761

COUNTERBALANC ING DEVICE Filed Feb. 14, 1927 2 sheets sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED ories a qO lllEltliilflil gNd EVI n r r j Richard R. Blossand Roy 0." Pfeil, Columbus, .Ohio, assignors toflhe International .Derrick & Equipmentfiompany, Columbus; ()hio, acor- (not tion tq i 1 Ap iance-renti g" 14, 1927, Serial No. 16 7;924 1 solaims. (olsm-ssen 1 1 Our invention relates to a counterbalancing device for'attachment to cranks andhas tone primarily with the provision of a novel form of counterbalance thatis attached to, and works -5. in conjunction with, the crank, rather than'the bandwheel or walking beam of an ordinary oil welldrilling and-pumping mechanism." g v r In our invention, certain features of 'adj1istability have'been provided to meet'the normal variations in the weight of the suspended pump-' ing or drilling mechanism andthe 'oil or other fluid above the plunger. These featuresotad justability are also calculated "to obt' iate [the jerky movements of the parts "of the-pumping mechanism and to provide a smoothanduniform operation throughout all cycles of such pumping or drilling operation. The fact that'our counterbalance is designed so as to be attachedto and'operate-with the crank has a decided'advantage over a band'wheel or walking beam counterbalancer This advantage resides in'the fact thatthe 'wear'and' tear on the band wheel andwalking'bearnand 'th'e tortional stress on the crank-shaft, as produced" 2 by the ordinary type of band "wheel oriwalking beam counterbalance, is eliminated."

Another important feature of our invention resides in'the fact that we provide a plurality of weight members and means *of adjusting the 3 counterbalance with respect to-its distance from the crank-shaft. The-weightmembers may: be

attachedto or detached from thecounterbalance so as to obtain a greater or lesser counterbalanc ing eifect since, by varying the 'mass'of the 35 weight members and the distance of the counter balancefrom the crank-shaft, any desired counterbalancing eifect'may be obtained."

vAnother feature of our invention is the'ease with which the counterbalance unit maybe-de-l tached from the crank-shaft.

Various other advantageous features of our in"- vention will appear from the detailed description hereinafter set forth and'the preferred em-' bodiment of our invention is shown in'tl'ie ac-' 45. companying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding' parts andwherein Figurel is a front elevational detail-view of" the preferred embodimentof our invention. l? Figure 2 is a side 'elevational view showing plemental weights attached to the main counter balance casting.

Referring to" the several figures of the drawings; and, particularly, to Figure 3, a special crank is shown at l as being mounted upon and keyed to' a shaft 2, which, in turn, operates in a jack postbearing 3 supported by a jack post 4.

"The couterbalance'unit" 24 is carried by the rods 6, which1ods connect the counterbalance castingjand the split bearing 7. The hub of the cr nk l 'is machined to a' smaller diameter for the ac'cdmmodation of the split bearing 1, the shoulders'fforme'd on the hub by this reduction in; diameter providing a lateral bearing for the split bearing 1, whichbearing serves to keep the counterbalance unit in alignment. The split bearing. '1 embraces the. machined portion of the 'crank l y and the machined portion of the crank l rotates in the, split bearing '1 only when the crank rotates and the counterbalance casting 5 is disengaged from the Crank 5.

Slots I1 and 18 provide access to the bottom nuts ofthe rods 6, which rods 6 suspend the main counterbalance castingfi from the split bearing 1. These rods 6 are threaded at their upper portions allowing the counterbalancing unit to be suspended atvarying distances from the crank-shaft 2.: Slots It), in the main counterbalance casting 5, are designed to cooperate with this, adjustment.

The..main counterbalance casting 5 consists of a flange 2 cast integrally with the boss i l. Supplemental counterbalance weights I3 are provided in order to vary the weight of the counterbalance unit. Thesesupplemental weight elements are so designed that they may be readily attached to or detached from the main counterbalancing casting 5 by means of the bolts 14.

.;The counterbalancing casting 5 is attached to the crank] by means of the bolts I5. Slots In in the main counterbalance casting 5 and open ended slots IS in the. end of the crank l permit the main counterbalance casting 5 and the crank l to be easilydisengaged. Upon loosening thenuts of thebolts l5,; these bolts may be moveddownwardly in the slots IE! until they moveout of the open ends of the slots N5 of the crank l. H 1 1 A washer 2i oneach of the bolts l5 serves as a spacer betweenthecounterbalancng casting 5 and the-crank l. -Th-is spacer provides a clearance between the vcounterbalancing casting 5 and the crank I so that, when these two units are disengaged, the crank may be operated independother fluid above the plunger. If the counterbalance were left in the position shown in Figure 3, and the pump were adjusted for a long stroke by means of the wrist pin l9 and the holes 20, as shown in Figure 3, the effect of the counterbalance unit 24 would be less than if the wrist pin I9 were placed in one of the upper holes 20, to produce a short stroke, and the counterbalance unit 24 left in the position shown in the figure.

In Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, we have shown a modification of our invention. This modification differs from the counterbalance shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 only in the shape of the various parts and in the fact that the counterbalance unit is equipped with a plurality of slots l0, whereby the counterbalance unit 5 may be attached to the crank in any one of several positions (see Figure 4). This makes possible the advancing or retarding of the center of gravity of the counterbalance weight in its relation to the crank. By advancing or retarding the counterweight, it is possible to synchronize the maximum turning movement of the crank counterweight with the maximum rod load.

Slots 2'! provide access to the bottom nuts of the rods 6 which are supported in the split bearing carried by the hub of the crank arm for shifting the position of the counterbalance unit relative to the'crank shaft. Supplemental weights 28 are provided to vary the weight of the counterbalance unit. These supplemental weight elements are so designed that they may be readily attached to or detached from the counterbalancing unit 25 by means of the bolts l4.

It will be clearly obvious that we have provided a counterbalance whereby any desired counterbalancing effect may be obtained either by predetermining the position of the counterbalance unit with respect to the crank-shaft, by the addition or subtraction of supplemental weight elements to the main counterbalance casting or by adjusting the wrist pin along the crank arm obtaining a long or short stroke of the plunger.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In counterbalancing mechanism for well pumping apparatus, an attachment for a crankshaft comprising a crank arm with open ended slots, a weight structure having elongated slots in the face thereof, and fastening means slidable in said elongated slots into and out of cooperative relation with the open ended slots of said crank.

2. Attachment for the crank-shaft of oil well pumping mechanism comprising a pendulous weight structure having T-slots in its face, a crank having open ended slots and bolts slidable in said T-shaped slots into and out of cooperative relation with the open ended slots of said crank.

3. In counterbalance mechanism for well pumping apparatus, an attachment for a crankshaft comprising a crank arm, a weight structure having elongated slots in the face thereof, and fastening means slidable in said elongated slots, said fastening means being adapted to secure said weight structure to said crank arm.

4. A counterbalance mechanism for wellpumping apparatus embodying a counterbalance weight, an attachment for a crank shaft comprising a crank arm with its extremity provided with open-ended slots into which bolts carried by the. counterbalance weight may be inserted by movement longitudinally of the crank arm to wards the crank shaft to preclude rotation of the crank arm without the counterbalance weight.

5. A crank arm, a hub thereon, an auxiliary arm mounted adjacent said crank arm, a bearing divided transversely into sections, means holding the said sections together, weights on said auxiliary arm, and means engaging said arms together, the said sections of said bearings being adapted to be separated to disconnect said arms from each other.

6. An attachment for the crank arm of a pumplng mechanism comprising a counterbalance weight structure, means connected to the crank shaft upon which said crank arm is mounted and to the counterbalance weight structure for suspending said counterbalance weight structure from the crank shaft, means for attaching said counterbalance weight structure to said crank arm at a point other than its point of suspension from the crank shaft, said last two means being of such construction that said counterbalance weight structure may be so connected as to swing with said crank arm or may be so disconnected that said crank arm can rotate independently and continuously while the counterbalance weight remains stationary and while the said means for suspending the counterbalance weight structure is still connected to the crank shaft, said counterbalance attaching means comprising a plurality of connecting means disposed at spaced points along said counterbalance weight structure to permit said crank arm to be readily connected to said counterbalance weight structure at different points along the counterbalance weight structure.

7-1. A counterbalance attachment for well pumping mechanism comprising, in combination with a crank arm supported on a crank shaft, a pendulous weight supported from the crank shaft and so mounted that it may be attached to said crank arm, and means for connecting said pendulous weight to said crank arm in such a manner that it will rotate therewith as a unit, said means being of such construction that the said pendulous weight may be entirely disconnected from said crank arm so that the crank arm can rotate independently and continuously while the said counterbalance weight remains stationary and while it is supported by said crank shaft.

8. An attachment for the crank arm of a pumping mechanism comprising a counterbalance weight structure, means connected to the crank shaft upon which said crank arm is mounted and to the counterbalance weight structure for suspending said counterbalance weight structure from the crank shaft, means other than the suspending means for attaching said counterbalance weight structure to said crank arm, said suspending means being of such a nature as to permit movement of the counterbalance weight from a position in cooperative relation to the crank arm to a position in non-interfering relation with the crank arm in order to permit the crank arm to rotate independently and continuously while the counterbalance weight remains stationary and while the said suspending means is still connected to the crank shaft.

RICHARD R. BLOSS. ROY C. PFEIL. 

